lenient

Definition

Lax; not strict; tolerant of dissent or deviation.

Etymology

From Middle French lénient, from Latin lēniēns, present participle of lēnīre (“to soften, soothe”), from lēnis (“soft”).

Example Sentences

• "The standard is fairly lenient, so use your discretion."
• "But in other points, as well as this, I was growing very lenient to my master; I was forgetting all his faults, for which I had once kept a sharp look-out. It had formerly been my endeavour to study all sides of his character; to take the bad with the good; and from the just weighing of both, to form an equitable judgment. Now I saw no bad."